Forward Thinking

The more you
sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”These are
words my father taught me from early on.No doubt a
quote that he had picked up during his time in the
United States Marine Corps.“Always keep a tactical edge.”Another
good one from Dad.He was a police officer who took personal
safety to extremes.I have carried many of his sayings into adult
life.My
father has never been much of what we view as a
“prepper,” but many of his principles were practical
for learning the ever evolving art of
self-sufficiency.Like most others, I do not own a bunker or have
twenty years worth of doomsday food stocked in caches
around the county.What I live by are practical ideals of forward
thinking.Certainly,
I don’t have it all together, but I do take practical
steps towards my goals of being self-sufficient.

We can all be encouraged by these
aforementioned quotes.Understanding that the enemy is usually
ourselves is a large part of the preparedness model of
thinking.Limitations
leave a weak link in the chain.Overcoming
those weaknesses is no easier for myself than for
anyone else.But
we must press forward and continue to “sweat in
peace,” for war time may be just ahead.War
doesn’t have to be from a military invasion.War can be
from a job loss or any number of downward spirals in
life.This
is where forward thinking comes into play.The six
months of food that you may have stored for a pandemic
may be exactly what gets you through a job loss.You were
able to sweat in peace by storing and preparing, but
now that war has ensued in your personal arena, you
bleed less.

I am no psychologist. Heck, the
most psychology I understand is the occasional
Freudian Slip.But proper mental mindset is something that we
can all learn to be focused on.The words
of my father ring true more and more as I get older
each passing day.“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”Another
saying from Dad.The wise old owl got it right with that one for
sure.When
you are a youngster and have everything provided for
you, tough times are few and life is good.As an
adult we learn that we cannot manipulate to get our
way when the storms of life come crashing down.Faith is
the factor that gets me through; a proper mindset
seems to keep me focused on the solution to problems.Preparing
for what may come leaves us not so shocked and awed
when trials happen.I am human and fail in the areas of faith and
preparedness.Like
anyone else, I get blindsided as well.I do not,
however, get blindsided as often as I used to.

I hope, at the very least, to
get others to think about preparedness and think in a
forward momentum.It may be the saving grace of some, and others
only a mental ascent to agree with what they know to
be true, all the while failing to act upon those
beliefs.Neglect
will only hinder you when it comes to the “bleed in
war” times, and we will all bleed in war at times.“Victorious
warriors win first and then go to war, while
defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to
win.” –General Sun Tzu